Dark Rose (2003)
by Czech & Speake

Very, very similar to the typical Montale accord of oud and rose. It smells a lot like a number of Montale fragrances; or at least it smells like the common denominator between them, sort of divided by two, or maybe the square root of that accord. In fact, Buffalo_Gals' review seems to me to be dead on. It's a lighter, more approachable Montale, with just a touch of something fruity and berry-like (sort of like you would find in La Labo's Rose scent or 10 Corso Como). The lightness and the berry note to my nose makes this more a "bright" scent than a "dark" one, but it seems that whenever rose appears in a fragrance, people automatically perceive it as dark. I wonder why. I like it better than many Montales, and it is nice, but I've really tired of these aoud/rose/berry fragrances.

If you love Oud scents & love rose fragrances, Czech & Speake's Dark Rose is for you. Think Montale Aoud Roses Petals but a tad lighter & softer with a berry accord added ~ sort of a jammy note blended so beautifully with the soft oud & rose. This is a nice alternative to the montales if you find them too heavy & thick. Dark Rose stays a bit closer to the skin & is less oily than the Montales. I love both C&S dark Rose & the montale rose ouds. I find ouds to be an acquired taste. I hated Black Rose the first time i tried it, but then again I hated good red wine when I was younger too......but ouds have won a permanent place in my heart & now dark rose has a comfy corner as well.
I will never be without ouds in my wardrobe especially the rose oud blends.
5 stars in my book!!!

Think funeral home. Yep, this is quite a dark, somewhat must rose scent. If you want a fragrance that does justice to the dark, but woodsy rose scent choose L'Artisan Voleur de Roses or if you want something that screams roses then Creed Fleurs de The Rose Bulgari, but this one you can safely pass over. I was disappointed about how it measured up to other more classic Czech & Speake items.